Dining Review: Mediterranean staples in fine form at ZamZamz

A friend who works at FedEx raved so much about ZamZamz Mediterranean Grill, where she grabs a quick lunch, that I eventually had to make a trip down Bill Morris Parkway to Winchester, navigate the vast sea of strip centers and chance upon ZamZamz, facing a interior street in front of the J.C. Penney parking lot. You’ll find it, too, and you’ll also be glad you did.

My first thought, though, was that the restaurant was a chain. It has that slick look of the fast-casual places dotting suburbia, and is next door to Genghis Grill. But we ate, thoroughly enjoyed the meal, developed an instant addiction to the fried pita strips and left full and happy. A little research and a phone call or two later, I was even happier to discover that ZamZamz is not a chain, but it was designed with the hope of opening other locations.

Someday it might be, but it will be one that started right here.

It’s a simple place with counter service, but the food is uniformly good, and some of it is excellent. There is an emphasis on healthful food, and meats are grilled or cooked on an upright rotisserie, food is made fresh, and unlike in many Middle Eastern restaurants, a restrained hand is used with the olive oil — except with the pita chips.

OK, sure they’re a very small part of the meal, but the pita strips that come with the hummus and baba ghanoush are worth the trip. Pita bread, a bit smaller than average, is made in-house twice daily. This is soft and pillowy pita, a Wonder Bread version, and that’s meant in the best way. But cut into strips and fried in olive oil, the resulting chips (strips, too — it’s a hodgepodge inside the little paper cup) are crisp when they’re thin, slightly chewy when they’re thick, and like crack to a crunchy-snack lover. They’re insanely good, and every time I go in, I ask for an extra serving; I don’t think I’ve been charged, but I’ve ordered meals each time.

Here’s how it breaks down. The menu is a mix of a small selection of salads and a few more sandwiches and platters, which are mostly kabobs but also include rotisserie chicken and lamb chops. The sandwiches are served in the pita and include a decent though fairly ordinary gyro. It’s carved to order, and it’s well dressed; the meat is tasty, the bread very good, so there’s nothing wrong with it, but there are better ones to be had in town and better sandwiches to be eaten at ZamZamz. The spicy chicken is my favorite, but it’s served with the restaurant’s version of harissa, and it has a bite. Harissa is a North African condiment, a fiery pepper paste that packs serious Scoville units when served straight. At ZamZamz, it’s mixed with yogurt before it’s served, which cools it considerably. Nonetheless, it’s warm, so if you can’t take the heat, order the chicken shawarma sandwich instead.

Or the falafel, which is fantastic, fried to order, and the only vegetarian option on the sandwich menu. (But for just a $2 charge, you can add two sides to your sandwich, and falafel is one of the choices, so consider that.) The kefta, an elongated meatball made of seasoned lamb and beef, is another excellent choice. I prefer it with tzatziki, a cucumber-yogurt sauce, over the tahini, a sauce made with sesame paste; either is good, though.

The chicken kabobs were just great; the meat was tender and properly cooked, not even slightly dry, as chicken can easily be, particularly when cooked in small pieces. It was tangy, perhaps marinated in yogurt, maybe seasoned with a touch of sumac (maybe both). The beef kabobs were even better, seasoned liberally with red pepper and a touch of cinnamon, every bite tender. You can order each alone or order a combination platter that includes one of each. Basmati rice is very good; order brown if you want a healthier option. Two sides and pita also come with the platters.

Sides of baba ghanoush, falafel and hummus are all good. Tabbouleh is not one of my favorite things, but ZamZamz’s is as good as any other, a lemony mix of parsley with a bit of olive oil and bulgur.

To my pet peeve: Food is served on the dreaded Styrofoam plates with the reviled plastic forks and knives; napkins are tiny and barely serviceable. It’s a shame, because the food is quite good, the open kitchen snazzy, the place clean, the people friendly. Let’s all cross our fingers for real plates and forks in the near future.